Software is Soylent Green

I think the description really says it all, but when writing software, you’re going to encounter a bunch of different people that are more difficult to work with than your favorite compiler:

Poisonous People: Those who (intentionally or otherwise) make your life hell

Wannabe geniuses: People who think that they can be geniuses by emulating their engineering idols. Sadly, the personas of these idols are usually rooted in myth and half-truths

Users who have real needs and issues but don’t speak “engineer-ese”

Other engineers who need and want a leader but generally mistrust appointed leaders

You can ignore these people-issues and get software written, but if you figure out how to identify, understand, and—in some cases—counter them, you can be much more efficient and effective as an engineer! The fact that you may be one of these people and need to fix that is beyond the scope of this talk.